A SUMMER IN HIGH ASIA. 



It made one feel sick to look at him, and I could 

 see the poor beast lying at the bottom, moving his 

 head slowly from side to side, as a dying animal will 

 do. After pitching our camp I thought that I 

 would send Ullia with my rifle to despatch the 

 unhappy brute, as I knew that its owner, after 

 securing the load, would leave it to die, after the 

 manner of the Asiatic, and our astonishment may 

 be better imagined than described when we heard 

 that such a proceeding would be useless, not to say 

 impolitic, as the pony, after a short rest (!) at the 

 bottom of the ravine, had continued its journey, 

 though somewhat cut and shaken. We could 

 scarcely believe our ears, but it turned out to be 

 a fact, nevertheless. This night we camped in a 

 flowery meadow, and felt that our expedition was 

 over. 



I lingered for a fortnight in this delightful valley, 

 camping in the pine and deodar forests, and hoping 

 to get a shot at the barasingh (Kashmir stag) 

 which were still running in the forest ; but, though 

 I saw one fine one, the stalk proved impossible, and 

 after lying for eight hours on the hillside, I had the 

 satisfaction of seeing him disappear into the jungle. 

 Eventually, as the first snow fell, about the middle 

 of October, I determined that I had done enough 

 for one season, and would set out at once for 

 Bombay and home. Accordingly I started for 

 Srinagar, which I reached on October i8th, having 



been away just five months. Here I made a short 



250 



